Education News update for Thursday 31th August 2023

Here are the headlines as they were published in the dailies.

Guardian.

Computer society rewards college at national IT competition

A student of Platform Schools, Ipaja, Lagos, Excel Chukwuemeke, has emerged winner of the 2023 National Information Technology Whizkids Competition, and was rewarded by the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) with a new HP laptop and cash prize of N500,000.

He was presented the award by the wife of the Bauchi State governor, Dr Aishatu Mohammed, at the closing banquet of the international conference of the association.

How Nigeria can meet agenda 2030 SDGs target, by stakeholders

As the 2030 target for nations to meet Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) draws near, former Vice Chancellor, Osun State University (UNIOSUN), Prof Labode Popoola has lamented that the date may not be realistic after all.

Popoola, in his keynote address at a two-day national conference on Agenda 2030 and the SDGs, organised by the Lagos State University Centre for the Actualisation of the UN SDGs (LASU-SDG), in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC), Abuja, said countries must invest and work together to address the challenges confronting them.

RECTEM gets NBTE’s approval for HND programmes

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) has given its nod to Redeemer’s College of Technology and Management (RECTEM), to commence Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes.

Addressing journalists on the development, the Rector, Dr. Stella Mofunanya, said the NBTE has approved nine programmes for the institution ahead of the 2023/2024 session.

College launches app to assist UTME candidates

Higher learning institution and early career management platform, ProU Education, has launched an App to aid candidates’ preparation for the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The Founder, Dr. Piyush Jain, said the app is aimed at empowering candidates to be successful in the UTME.

Educationists urge minister to pay lecturers eight months’ salaries

Director of Distance Learning Centre (DLC), University of Ibadan, Prof. Emmanuel Omobowale, a lecturer from Political Science Department, Kola Daisi University (KDU), Ibadan, Dr Adebukola Ayoola and Prof. Gbade Ojo of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State, made the call in separate interviews with The Guardian.

Omobowale pleaded with the minister to facilitate the payment of outstanding eight months’ arrears of salaries owed lecturers, saying this would endear him to academics who are presently disillusioned.

VC warns fresh students against indecent dressing, cultism, other vices

The Vice-Chancellor, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike (AE-FUNAI) Ebonyi State, Prof. Sunday Elom, has warned newly admitted students of the institution to shun vices or risk being kicked out of the institution.

Elom, who read the riot act at the 11th matriculation ceremony of the institution, said the university has zero tolerance for cultism, exam malpractices, bullying, ‘sorting,’ campus prostitution, sex-for-grades and improper dressing. Read more https://guardian.ng/features/education/vc-warns-fresh-students-against-indecent-dressing-cultism-other-vices/

Starfield celebrates UTME top scorer, others at valedictory service

To showcase its outstanding students and celebrate their achievements, Starfield College, Agege, Lagos, has rewarded the school’s class of 2023 with gifts and awards at its 23rd Valedictory service.

The students, led by the Valedictorian, Emillia Sholaja, performed well in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and the recently released West African School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). Read more https://guardian.ng/features/education/starfield-celebrates-utme-top-scorer-others-at-valedictory-service/

English schools told to close buildings made with crumble-risk concrete

The government has told schools in England to immediately shut buildings made with aerated concrete until safety work is undertaken, the Guardian understands, in a move threatening plans to reopen next week for the start of the new school year.

In an escalation of the schools building safety crisis, the Department of Education has issued new advice – believed to have happened as recently as Thursday – stating that regardless of the assessed risk of a building made using reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) blocks, such buildings should be “taken out of use and mitigations should be implemented immediately”. Read more https://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/aug/31/english-schools-told-to-close-buildings-made-with-crumble-risk-concrete

Ex-Tory MP threatens to sue Cambridge University over slavery research

Student says he has been pressured to remove a reference to Antoinette Sandbach, a descendant of a slave merchant

The former Tory MP Antoinette Sandbach has threatened the University of Cambridge with legal action after a historian named her as a descendant of merchants who enslaved his ancestors.

Malik Al Nasir, a third-year PhD history student at St Catharine’s College, has spent the past 20 years exploring his family’s history of slavery and the wealth that was built from those who enslaved them. Read more https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/31/ex-tory-mp-threatens-sue-cambridge-university-slavery-research-antoinette-sandbach

Tribune

Parents task FG on improved standard in unity colleges

The parents and teachers of students at the Federal Government Colleges have called on the new Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, to bring to bear his wealth of experience to turn things around for better in unity colleges nationwide.

They said the system needs to be santised to substantially raise the standards of those schools and their products. Read more https://tribuneonlineng.com/parents-task-fg-on-improved-standard-in-unity-colleges/

Kaduna govt seeks TETFund’s support on access to teacher education

AS part of efforts to address shortage of qualified teachers, the Kaduna State government has appealed to the management of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to support the agenda of the state to expand access to teacher education in the state.

Kaduna State governor, Senator Uba Sani, made the call when he led a state government delegation on a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc Sonny Echono at the fund’s headquarters in Abuja. Read more https://tribuneonlineng.com/kaduna-govt-seeks-tetfunds-support-on-access-to-teacher-education/

UI nominates chairman of BOVAS as ambassador extraordinaire

The University of Ibadan (UI) has nominated the chairman of BOVAS and Company Limited, Arc. Bamidele Samson as an ambassador extraordinaire of the institution.

The vice chancellor of the university, Professor Kayode Adebowale, who led a visitation team to the office of the chairman to make the announcement said they were there to celebrate him at 80 and to deliver the letter of his nomination as an ambassador extraordinaire of the university’s 75h anniversary celebrations. Read more https://tribuneonlineng.com/ui-nominates-chairman-of-bovas-as-ambassador-extraordinaire/

NSCDC restates determination to protect schools nationwide

AHEAD of resumption of schools nationwide, the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps(NSCDC), Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, has restated the determination of the Corps to protect schools in the country.

He said the special squad created for the purpose of the “Special Safe Schools Response Squad (SSSRS),” will undertake regular patrols and respond to distress calls alongside response units of other relevant agencies as might be directed by the commander of the Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre. Read more https://tribuneonlineng.com/nscdc-restates-determination-to-protect-schools-nationwide/

Legit

2 Nigerian Female Students Invent Dirty Water Purifier, Win International Award

Lagos State, Yaba – Two Nigerian female students, Elizabeth Korolo Boluwatife and Abdulsalam Ajara, have won the Stockholm Junior Water Prize Nigeria for inventing a water purifying device called the Bithermal Water Distillation Device.

The award-winning innovation is designed to purify and recycle contaminated water into safe drinking water for people in riverine and rural areas.

List of New Courses, Departments in Nigerian Universities as FG Introduces New Curriculum

The National Universities Commission (NUC) unveiled the new curriculum in 2022 to replace the Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS), which had been in use since 2007, BusinessDay reported.

The CCMAS was designed to make Nigerian tertiary education more responsive to the needs of society and reflect the 21st-century realities in the existing and new disciplines and programmes.

BBC

Parts of two Bradford schools shut over concrete safety fears

Parts of two Bradford primary schools will remain closed when pupils return for the new term after a potentially dangerous type of concrete was found.Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was used in buildings between the 1950s and the 1990s and is weaker than traditional concrete.

It is considered past its lifespan, but has been found in two primary schools. Read more https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-66665146

Lack of uniform rules compliance disappoints MP behind legislation

An MP who helped to draft legislation about the cost of uniforms has said hearing that schools have not complied with it was “incredibly disappointing”.Labour’s Mike Amesbury worked with the government on new guidance which schools must comply with by September.

The Weaver Vale MP said the guidance stated that branding “should be kept to a minimum”, but that was being ignored.

The Nation

Fidelity Bank to help schools for new session

Fidelity Bank Plc has pledged to help schools prepare adequately for the new session and deliver quality education.

Through its product known as the Fidelity Edu Loan, administrators of registered private primary, secondary and tertiary institutions can access loans of up to N180 million. Read more https://thenationonlineng.net/fidelity-bank-to-help-schools-for-new-session/

Mushin Council chairman gives GCE forms to indigent youths

Chairman of Mushin Local Government Emmanuel Bamigboye has again presented free GCE forms to indigent private candidates at a public event at the council hall in Palm Avenue, Mushin, Lagos.

Speaking at the event recently, the chairman admonished the beneficiaries not to abuse the privilege of getting the forms free of charge. He spoke about the efforts of the council to ensure the youths have a brighter future, which can only be achieved through good educational background. Read more https://thenationonlineng.net/mushin-council-chairman-gives-gce-forms-to-indigent-youths/